Equinox
by Roja-Cyd
Summary: Draco's out to get some...experience. Who can he use? A DracoHermione story.
1. Chills

A/N: This story was written for the "Fall in Love with Draco and hermine Fic Exchange", and has an Autumn theme. The person I wrote this for requested a sexually experienced, but not slutty Hermione, Draco's a virgin, and a Gryffindor scarf is in there somewhere.

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter characters do not belong to me. I'm only playing with them.

**Chapter 1 **

Hermione Granger sat in Herbology class and dreamed of summer.

Her mind replayed the warm sunshine, the green garden outside her aunt's home where Hermione had lolled away the quiet hours reading, and warm, roughened fingers sliding over her smooth skin.

"Hermione! Why have you got that silly smile on your face?" Ron poked her crossly.

Startled, Hermione blinked and looked around at her friend. "It's nothing, Ron. I was thinking of summer vacation, that's all."

"Had a good time, did you?" Ron asked

Hermione smiled. "You could say that."

In front of the class, Professor Sprout was talking about autumn.

"Now that you're all seventh years, it's time to pay more attention to Samhain, or Halloween as the Muggles call it. It's all been fun and games and floating pumpkins for you lot until now, but you've got to start taking Halloween a bit more seriously now. It's when wizards and witches create some of their most powerful spells, you know!"

Heads around the class began to perk up. This sounded interesting.

In the Slytherin side of the class, Draco Malfoy propped his head in his fist and glowered at his desktop. He paid no attention to Professor Sprout. He didn't even pay much attention to Harry Potter, his usual nemesis. He too was thinking of the past summer.

"Tomorrow night is the night of Mabon," Sprout was lecturing. "Can anyone tell me about it?"

Hermione glanced up with some interest and checked the date in her head. September 21st. Of course. She really should concentrate on class, she thought. Harry and Ron had already remarked numerous times on how absentminded she'd looked since returning to school this year. She ought not to daydream in class.

As for the night of Mabon...

She raised her arm high, a habit she had never managed to cure herself of.

"The Autumn Equinox, Professor?" she asked.

Sprout beamed. "Exactly. When day and night are equal. The forces of good and evil vie for supremacy all the time- but on this night they are equally balanced.

"This is the night that Persephone returns to the Underword, to Hades, her husband. As you know, she was stolen from Earth by Hades, who wanted her for his bride. When Hercules came to rescue her from the Underworld, Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds. The seeds meant that Hades could keep Persephone."

Many Slytherins nodded with pride at Hades' sly move. Hermione could only frown.

"But Zeus persuaded Hades to return Persephone to the loving arms of her mother for six months of the year."

Professor Sprout looked around, his face sorrowful.

"Autumn is when Persephone leaves the Earth and goes to her husband."

Draco decided he couldn't care less. Any fool who ate from the Underworld deserved what she got.

He looked around, and his gaze landed on Hermione Granger. Disinterested, he was about to look away, but something caught his eye. She was blushing. And she wasn't looking at either Weasley or Potter as she did it. Who was she thinking about? Because Draco was suddenly seized by the firm conviction that she was thinking about a boy.

Surely not. He shook his head and turned away, dismissing the idea. He had troubles of his own.

"You'll all be going out to pick certain plants for spells, and the Equinox is the perfect time to do it! Halloween is a month away, and by then your herbs will be dried and ready! Now, I'll be giving you a list of..."

Professor Sprout talked on, but the words buzzed unintelligibly in Draco's ears. Who cared? When he'd had the worst summer ever, what difference did plants make?

His mind drifted back to the summer wedding he'd attended with his mother. Some relative of his had been getting married, and they'd both had to attend, even with his father still secure in Azkaban. And there he'd met Melissa.

"...were made out of these plants. Now, the faunsfoot, especially, was greatly sought after for its magical ability of confidence. Warriors found it increased their confidence to great levels, and when they overimbibed, well, that's where the term 'berserkers' comes from, you know."

Draco perked up. Faunsfoot? Yes, he'd heard the name. Hmm, it rather sounded like what he needed.

He'd been sure that Melissa was going to be his ticket to manhood. But...well, the whole thing was embarrassing to remember.

And worst of all, he'd come back to Hogwarts a _virgin_, something he'd sworn was not going to happen this year. Not that there were a dearth of girls throwing themselves at him, but he'd have preferred to get in a little..._practice..._to make sure that the right sort of rumours spread around the school. It would be unbearable to be rumoured as an unskilled lover.

Hermione too, decided that she should like to find the plant. It was an important ingredient in several potions she had in mind.

"Of course, we all know the danger of going out on the night of the Equinox, and that is..."

And then Professor Sprout was called away by Professor McGonagall and class was dismissed. But that didn't matter. All the class knew the danger of wandering the forest on the Autumn Equinox.

The Wild Hunt would be out.

Sometimes, students could hear the barking of the hounds at night. Even the muggle-raised students were quickly apprised of the situation.

"Thery're called the Cwn Annwn," Ron was explaining to Harry as the three of them began to exit from the classroom.

"The Coon Anoon?" Harry asked, repeating the sound.

"Yeah, Harry, they're the hounds of Arawn, the lord of the forest." Ron's eyes were alight with excitement. "He isn't seen much, but he brings out his pack of hounds to hunt on the night of the Equinox."

"But of course that's the best time for wizards and witches to gather useful plants for potions that will last all year," Hermione explained, navigating around a Slytherin. "It's a bit of a problem, of course, but the hounds won't come out until true dark. We've just got to be careful."

Someone pushed her from behind, trying to move ahead, and Hermione stumbled onto the person in front of her.

"Oh, sorry!" she said automatically, softly touching the back of the student she'd hit in apology.

Malfoy's patented glare turned around on her.

"Watch where you're going, Granger!"

"You," Hermione's eyes narrowed.

Harry and Ron moved to defend her.

Draco swept them all in an ill-tempered glare, and left.

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Later that evening, Draco was walking to the main hall for supper when his shoe lace untied itself. He bent to tie it, and that's when it happened.

"You what?" Came an astonished voice.

Draco looked up. He was kneeling behind a row of pillars that separated the hallway into two. Unseen by him, two girls were walking on the other side, also going in to dinner.

"Hush, Ginny!" Draco recognized the voice. Granger, of course.

"Well, how was it?" The littlest Weasley.

"It was wonderful. Sean was...very tender." Hermione was talking in a dreamy tone of voice. "It was really unplanned, but...well, mum and dad and I were visiting mum's sister, and Sean was a friend of my cousin's, and we started hanging out a lot. It was just one of those magical summer things. Inexplicable!"

Draco might have fallen over if he hadn't already been kneeling on one knee. Granger? Had had a summer affair? The blood started to pound in his temples. It simply wasn't possible. But he remembered the dreamy look in her eyes and her pink cheeks in Herbology class.

Which Sean was it? One of the Gryffindors?

"But a muggle!" Ginny exclaimed.

Not a wizard then.

"Well, I don't even know if I'll see him again," Hermione said, sounding like she was smiling. "It was just one of those things."

The girls continued talking as they walked down the hall, but Draco's mind was working furiously. Granger of all the people in the world had had an affair? He stood, then dipped his chin in thought. He was a Slytherin. He could work out an advantage in this.

Harry, Ron and Hermione agree to split up later that evening. The walk on Mabon had to be done alone. Each of them, along with the rest of the seventh years, separated to take a solitary path into the forest.

The wide stream Hermione decided to follow was shallow and rocky, its banks strewn with smooth white rocks of various sizes. Hermione made her way along the stones, looking into the clear water for any sign of her plant. Bordering the stones, the forest underbrush grew thickly. At some points along the stream, it reached nearly down to the water, forcing Hermione to cling to some of the thin branches to make her through to the other side. The forest's trees surrounded her, growing in green profusion, though here and there she could see a hint of yellow and red. One tree she glimpsed had turned its leaves completely red, and the contrast against the dark, mossy bark of the tree was startling.

Hermione followed the curve of the stream until she was well out of sight of Hogwarts, yet there was no sign of the plant. She gave up for the moment, and looked at the item next on her list.

"Oh, uva ursi," she saw, and bent to strip the low-lying plant of a few berries, noting its position. She added the berries to her tiny basket.

Finally, she'd gathered everything on her list but the faunsfoot.

"It's got to be somewhere nearby," she decided. She glanced up at the sky, and was shocked to see how much darker the sky was. It was time to get back, faunsfoot or no.

And that's when she saw it.

Just around the final bend of the stream before it disappeared into the hillside, the faunsfoot grew in the shallowest water, its roots in the cool mud, its leaves shining green above.

All thoughts of leaving left her. Excited, Hermione slipped out of her robe so as not to wet her hem, bent and carefully began to dig in the murky soil of the stream. The faunsfoot came out easily, but she was very careful. The root was indeed shaped like the cloven foot of a deer. Carefully, she scraped the slightest bit from it, wrapped it quickly in horsehair, and returned the scraping to her basket.

She replanted the faunsfoot and sat up, her back sore. Stretching it, she glanced at the sky. It was definitely well into dusk by now. The twilight was deepening rapidly. With a worried look at the sky, Hermione rose to stand.

And that's when she heard it.

The first mournful howl echoed low and long through the trees. A second, third and fourth joined it, until a chorus of howls reverberated through the darkening autumn forest.

Hermione stood in awe and consternation, watching the moonlight turn the lean white bodies of the Cwn Annwn a silvery colour as they swarmed through the trees toward her. Their red ears were grey in the gathering darkness. Though they were yet a distance away, their barking was loud. Hermione was abruptly aware of her vulnerability, alone as she was in the forest with only her wand to protect her.

Were the hounds susceptible to her magic? They were closing too fast for her to cast a spell.

She turned and began to run, her basket bumping her hip as she leaped over fallen branches and skirted trees and undergrowth. The barking grew quieter, but Hermione knew the legend of the hounds, and knew that their barking grew quieter the closer they came.

They must be very close indeed.

Raw fear washed over her, sweeping rational thought before it, leaving her hunted- the prey. Hermione's pulse pounded in her ears, and she thought that at any moment sharp teeth would snap around her ankle and drag her to the ground. She chanced a glance behind her, although it wasn't a good idea, and then really wished she hadn't. A hound was nearly at her heels, ahead of the rest of the pack. It snapped at her, saliva oozing from its canine mouth. Hermione screamed and jumped to avoid it, lost her balance and felt herself falling-

A sudden wind brushed her, making her eyes tear with its force. Strong arms caught her around the waist and lifted her free of the ground. Hermione's vision was blocked by Hogwarts robes as her rescuer's broomstick soared high into the air. She hooked an elbow around the handle, her legs still swinging in the air.

"Harry?" She nearly sobbed with relief. "Thank goodne-"

"Quiet, Granger, you'll get us both killed."

She drew in a sharp breath and angled her head up, still unable to see over the billowing robes.

"Malfoy?" Hermione's blood went cold.The arms firmly holding her abruptly changed significance.

"The very same," came the cold, aloof voice of her classmate above her head. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Why...?" Hermione's quick mind leaped ahead and decided that she wasn't in the best spot to ask questions. She wanted to know why Malfoy had rescued her, and she worried that if she asked, he might wonder, too. Best not to remind him that they were mortal enemies just at that moment.

The broom changed direction, and the wind in Draco's robes deflated. At last she could see him. One of his hands had a white-knuckled grip on the broom's handle. The other was tight around her waist and gave her the oddest feeling. Only one other person had touched her in such an intimate manner, but those circumstances had been far different.

Malfoy turned his cold gaze on her as though he could read her thoughts. It occurred to Hermione that his eyes were the exact shade of the silvery fangs of the Cwn Annwn. The thought didn't comfort her at all.

The broomstick darted through the forest, tearing off leaves and small branches from trees as it passed by. Up here it was much colder, and freezing air rushed past Hermione, numbing her exposed skin. The broom abruptly bumped something, and Hermione gasped, nearly losing her precarious hold. Draco's arm curved more snugly about her waist, and hauled her closer against the length of his body.

The strength and warmth of him disconcerted Hermione. She felt utterly helpless as she was. Utterly at his mercy. This would not do. She hooked one ankle behind Draco, trying to gain some kind of grip on the broomstick. She could feel gravity pulling her downward. She fumbled for her wand in her pocket.

"Stay still!" Draco hissed, leaning down. Her hair blew wildly around them, slapping his face with soft strands. He cursed and shook them off. Behind them, the hounds' baying took on new urgency, and Hermione stole a glance towards them.

"Oh, no!" She gasped. Draco glanced warily behind him.

The hounds were climbing...swarming up onto the very air. They leapt into the sky, and the stream of dogs ran a silvery path up towards them. There was a dark shape behind them now, wrapped in shadows.

"The hunter! It's Arawn!" Hermione said fearfully. Another fumble in her pocket brought the chilling realization that her wand was nowhere to be found. Had she left it behind in her robe?

"Quickly! Climb on or you'll fall off for certain." Draco began to pull Hermione upright, but at that moment the hounds surged forward, and Draco's broom responded by cocking up and shooting forward, sending Hermione tumbling and nearly dislodging Draco from his seat. He hung half on, half off his broomstick, clutching Hermione's arm as she hung over the forest floor.

A hound, bolder than the rest, surged forward and snapped at Draco's arm. Its silver teeth clamped into skin and muscle, and bit. Draco yelled in pain. He flinched, and Hermione screamed. His grip loosened and Hermione grabbed at his arm with her other hand.

"Malfoy!"

Draco grunted with pain and effort, as the broom swerved and slid along the tops of the trees. The moonlight reflected off the hound's eyes, bright with anticipation as it fell back a few paces. The rest of its brethren were catching up. Their barks grew softer the closer they came, something that chilled Hermione.

Draco wouldn't be able to hold her much longer.

Using her free hand, she yanked off her long, striped Gryffindor scarf from around her neck and threw one fringed end over the broomstick. Releasing Draco's injured arm, she quickly caught both ends, so that now she was dangling from the scarf.

"Granger! Where the hell is your bloody wand?" Draco gripped his broomstick with his knees to anchor himself, reached down with his other hand and pulled Hermione up again. She hooked a leg over the broom and finally pulled herself up to crouch on the handle in front of him.

She was about to retort sharply when she faced front again.

"Malfoy!" Hermione shrieked as a thick tree branch zoomed towards their faces.

"Hold on, Hermione." Before she could open her mouth, Draco locked his ankles around the broomstick, grabbed Hermione's shoulders and swung them both upside down on the broomstick. Hermione's hair hung upside down, falling away from her face. The blood rushed to her head. Draco's fingers held her shoulders against him in an unbreakable grip, stopping her from falling off the broom.

She heard a thud, and looked behind to see two hounds fallen to the ground, unconscious or dead.

Probably not dead. Did their kind die, she wondered briefly. The broom completed its turn and Draco swung her upright again. She felt dizzy and let her head rest back against him, briefly.

The other hounds swung around the tree towards them.

"We can't hold them off much longer," Draco said, watching them.

Hermione gasped as she saw a clearing in the trees.

"Malfoy, look! We're almost at Hogwarts! And look!"

"I see," he said grimly.

"Do you think you can...?"

"Bite your tongue," he said with some of his old insouciance. "After all, which of the two of us is on the Quidditch team?"

Hermione wisely closed her lips over an answer.

Draco grinned and zoomed his broom around the final stand of trees, and the broom shot out into the open lawn of Hogwarts. The hounds didn't stop, though.

The broom whizzed around a corner and straight into the Whomping Willow, which awoke at the disturbance. Its giant branches swung around and whaled at them with dizzying speed. Hermione covered her head with one arm, wishing again that she had her wand. But Draco whizzed them out of the path of the oncoming branches, deftly twisting and turning through them. The hounds, close behind, turned and found themselves being thrashed soundly by the willow.

Draco sped towards the castle as they heard pained howls and yips behind them. He headed for one of the taller turrets, and landed on a stone balcony. He brought them to a not-too-gentle stop, his feet brushing the flagstones, and let the broom land on the floor. He and Hermione fell off the broom in an exhausted heap.

For a moment, Hermione was enveloped by warmth from Draco's body. The feeling brought back memories of another warm body moving over her. It made her feel safe. Draco's wide sleeves were like dark wings shading her from danger. She let herself relax.

And gasped when Draco stood and picked her up, his arms under her shoulders and her knees.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

He stared at her and quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you fainted," he said. He allowed Hermione to stand up.

Hermione turned to look at the Whomping Willow. All the hounds had retreated from the monstrous tree, even the ones that had been hurt. Looked as though nothing would hold them down for long.

The dark shadow that had been driving the hounds coalesced into the shape of a man with a horned head. His form approached them until he stood hovering just a few feet from the balcony. Hermione had moved so far back that when her back bumped into Draco again, she pressed herself against him unconsciously, something that Draco enjoyed very much. He put his arm around her in a protective gesture, and then gently moved her to stand behind him.

The forest lord considered them for a long moment, then turned and pulled out a hunting horn from his side, and blew long upon it.

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself to control a shiver. The horn had the sound of wild things in it.

The hounds responded, baying loudly, and disappeared in a stream back into the forest.

They'd found another prey to hunt.

When she returned her gaze to Arawn, the forest lord was gone.

Abruptly, Hermione found herself trembling. She bent her head. Draco turned around and drew her into his arms, warming her with his body.

"The hounds are gone," he said unnecessarily.

"I know." Her voice was muffled. She raised her head slightly, regarding his chin. "How did you come to be there?"

"You're a fool," he said impatiently. "All the seventh years have gone to walk the wild places on the night of the Equinox, but you forgot what any pureblood who's grown up in the magical world knows- that Arawn and his Cwn Annwn hunt on this night."

"I didn't forget!" Hermione said hotly, tilting her head to look Draco full in the eyes. "I simply lost track of time. The light fooled me."

Draco's expression told her what he thought of that. He released and stepped back.

"At least I still have my herbs," she said, lifting the small basket she'd tied to her waist. "But-oh!"

Her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Draco demanded.

"My wand! It's back at the stream! I...I dropped it."

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If you liked this story, please comment.


	2. Cold

**A/N: This chapter is the reason the story has an R rating.**

**DISCLAIMER: The characters of Harry Potter don't belong to me, but to their owners.**

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**Chapter 2**

As Draco watched Hermione, he was reminded once again of the Greek tale of Persephone.

_When Persephone was allowed to leave the realm of Hades, the dark god gave her six pomegranate seeds to eat. She swallowed them, not knowing that the seeds would tie her to Hades forever. And so he tricked her._

"At least I still have my herbs," Hermione said, lifting the small basket she'd tied to her waist. "But-oh!" Her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" Draco demanded.

"My wand! It's back at the stream! I...I dropped it."

"That's bad," Draco said, weaving deceit around them. "To leave an object of magic lying around on the night of Mabon is a very bad idea. You may not get it back unchanged, that is if you ever find it again."

"I have to go back!" Hermione cried, turning towards the balcony as though she might hop back on Draco's broomstick.

"What, and meet up with the hounds again?" Careful, he told himself.

"The hounds have found something else to hunt. I doubt they'll come after me again." Hermione looked around the balcony, and spotted a closet.

"You're mad, you know that? You're simply going to head back down into the forest right after Arawn's hounds nearly got you?" Draco shook his head, knowing all the while that she was only walking along the path he had set down for her.

_And so he tricked her._

Hermione had examined the closet's contents, and found a broomstick. It wasn't anywhere near as good as Draco's Nimbus 2001, of course, which still had a lot of zip in it considering that Draco had had it for a few years now. Hermione was very grateful to that broomstick, which had saved her life.

And, well, as for Malfoy...

"Thank you."

"Hm?" Draco said, relishing the moment.

"For saving me tonight." Hermione's face was hidden from him. She was examining her broom quite carefully. But she spoke very clearly, very determinedly.

Draco quirked a smile. "Yes, so you can go right out and put my efforts to waste by letting Arawn have another go at you. It won't do. I'll have to take you."

"What?" Startled, Hermione swung around. "I cant...you can't..."

Draco's smile had disappeared before she could see. It would have scared her away, anyway. "What are you waiting for? Your friends will come looking for you in a bit."

"That's true. But why are you helping me?"

Draco made an impatient sound. "Do you want to get your wand back or do you want to stand around all night asking ridiculous questions?"

Hermione would have pestered him some more, but she was too anxious about her wand. Losing a belonging always made her feel that way, jumpy and worried.

"Let's go," she said.

_And so he tricked her._

They flew over the forest again, this time with a sharp eye out for the hounds, but they seemed to have seen the last of them.Hermione found herself disturbingly aware of Draco's body behind her on the broomstick, warm and electric.

"There, there!" Hermione pointed. "Right where I found the faunsfoot. I'd left my robe there to get into the water."

Draco looked up sharply. She'd found faunsfoot? Hmmm...

He brought the broomstick down carefully to land at the edge of the stream. Hermione jumped off and ran for her robe. She picked it up and quickly began to rifle through the pockets.

Draco jumped off his broomstick as well and began to walk upstream. Hermione had nearly reached the source of the stream, he saw. It came out of a small cave in a hill, bubbling and clear. Draco bent and peered into the opening of the cave.

Perfect, he thought.

Just then, Hermione let out a shriek. "I found it! Thank goodness!" She examined her wand carefully for any scratches.

Draco meanwhile looked around in the sky. He found what he was looking for. Quickly he brought up his wand and muttered a few words, and made a quick squiggle with his own wand. He made his way to the faunsfoot plant growing in the shallow water.

"Well, it looks all right," Hermione began to say, when the deep baying of Arawn's hounds began again, right over their heads.

"They're back!" She cried. Draco glanced up from where he was standing ankle-deep in the stream.

"Quick! In here!" He began pulling at her arm. His touch sent a shock through her body, jolting her senses. WHY was she reacting this way? But she had no time to examine the idea with the hounds of Arawn close behind her.

"Where?"

"This stream! There's a deep cave under the hill, where it's coming out from! And the Cwn Annwn won't enter an abode with running water in it."

The baying was decreasing in volume, so Hermione didn't stop to question this. She allowed Draco to push her into the entrance of the cave. It was, she saw with surprise, spacious. The stream disappeared into the back of the cave, its origins even further in, but here it was...almost comfortable.

Draco crawled in after her.

Outside, they could hear the hounds barking softly but ferociously, but none entered.

Apparently the story was true.

"How did you know?" Hermione asked.

"It's the common way to escape, most wizards know the story. Rather, it's a cautionary folktale."

They waited in the semi dark, but the hounds wouldn't go away. Hermione was getting tired.

Draco muttered under his breath and pointed at the ground with his wand. A flame sprang up. He reached into the small knapsack he was carrying and pulled out a teakettle and two small cups.

Hermione watched with surprise.

"That's a lot of things to carry around," she remarked.

"It's good to be prepared," Draco said shortly. He dipped the kettle into the stream and filled it with water. He set the kettle on the fire, waiting for it to boil.

"I suppose you have tea, too?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Actually, yes, I found some tea-root when I was searching for my plants," Draco said calmly.

Hermione coloured. An apology was at the tip of her tongue, but...Draco was acting so strange.

The water boiled up, and Draco dropped a bit of tea-root into the kettle. Carefully, he poured out two cups of tea for Hermione and himself, then offered her one.

She took it gratefully.

"Mmm, it's very comforting," she said, sipping carefully, not noticing Draco's eyes on her.

"Yes, thanks," he said. Again, he thought of Hades, the lonely god, tricking his queen into staying.

They sat for a while, sipping their tea. Hermione was growing comfortable and warm. She found herself slipping glances at Draco's downturned profile every so often. The flames from the fire played eerily on his coldly handsome face.

"I can't believe we're sitting here together," Hermione remarked. "You and me, that is."

"Yes, well, stranger things have happened," Draco said quietly. He looked up, and she was captured by the clear grey orbs, with the black irises clearly delineated in the centers.

"Oh? Like what?" Hermione was curious.

"Like discovering that you've beat me at something else."

"What's that?" Hermione asked easily. She felt rather relaxed, almost bubbly. She leaned back and stared into Draco's ringed grey eyes.

"You've lost your virginity."

"What?" Hermione began to laugh. "How did you know that?" Inside her, she began to feel that laughing wasn't quite the reaction to Draco's revelation. Ought she not to be...furious?

Draco smiled unpleasantly. Time to pull his trap shut around his prey. "I overheard you talking to Weasley's sister. About your experience."

Hermione was shocked. "You heard that?"

"Yes, and I'd like a taste of what Sean got."

There was a moment of silence. Shock bubbled beneath Hermione's new calm, but her mind felt euphoric, as though she were floating.

"Why?" she asked calmly.

"Because I need a lesson in seduction. There was this girl I was planning to seduce, but at the last moment, something happened, and then nothing happened, if you see what I mean."

Hermione tut tutted. "All too well, Malfoy. But what makes you think I'm going to entertain this mad proposition from you?"

She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. It was as though she was drunk, or a completely different person, one who felt comfortable enough with Draco Malfoy to discuss _sex_. Hermione's logical brain couldn't hold onto the very brief thought that normally she couldn't discuss the weather with Malfoy without wanting to shove her wand through his eye.

Draco finally allowed himself to smile at her. _Persephone_, he thought, _you're mine_.

"Because I've put a slight scraping of faunsfoot into your tea," he explained. "It makes you feel you can handle anything, and odd things seem quite normal. Doesn't it seem normal to want to have sex with me?"

Hermione eyed Draco's form. "Very much," she replied. "All right."

She crawled over to him on her hands and knees. Draco's eyes narrowed as he took in the image.

She drew his head down gently, into a kiss, deepening the kiss until little sparks began to flash around in her brain.

Quickly, she began to unbutton her blouse.

Draco knocked her hands aside. "Allow me," he said. But his fingers weren't as nimble as usual. In fact, they seemed to be shaking, he saw. Thankfully, Hermione would not remember too much of this. Gritting his teeth, he forced his hands to stillness, and carefully flicked open one button after another, exposing Hermione's slim torso to his gaze. He found the sight unexpectedly stirring.

"That's it. Now I should like you to touch me." My goodness, I sound so confident, Hermione congratulated herself.

Draco complied. His cool hand slid smoothly over Hermione's warm skin, causing her skin to pebble at his touch. He encased her shiver by slipping his arm around her waist.

"Um, uh, now..."

"Yes? Now?" Draco teased, delighted at how flustered she seemed to be. Somehow knowing that she would take everything in stride, that she was supposed to be in control, took the edge of his own nervousness. This had been a brilliant idea.

Hermione drew a deep breath.

"Gently rub your...um...thumb, across..um, my...yes! Oh!" Hermine squeaked and tensed."Gently! Ahh...yes."

For a few minutes she allowed Draco to explore, heroically suppressing a need to return the favour. "Now, your hand down my stomach." Draco followed her instructions carefully, skimming Hermione's warm belly with splayed fingers. The rough masculine feel of his fingers were nearly her undoing. She whimpered, and dug her face into the curve of his shoulder. After all, she wasn't GREATLY experienced. Draco, meanwhile, slid his palm down to cup her hip, his hand delving beneath the slim crescent of her panties, following the curve of her thigh.

"You can...take my bra off," Hermione whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"You can take my bra off."

"How?"

"Just reach behind me and unhook it."

Draco tried, but the evil thing seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Is this some Muggle contraption?"

"Yes, but it's easy."

Draco struggled a bit longer, cursed, and finally succeeded. Hermione could tell because suddenly there was cool air on parts that normally were shut away.

He drew both hands up the sides of her ribs, smoothing away the feeling of the bra, making her skin tingle.

Hermione decided to help him out, and quickly drew off her shirt. She slipped out of the unhooked bra as well.

Draco;s eyes abruptly hooded as he stared down at her. His fingers at her sides spasmed. Desire was something he was familiar with, but this...this emotion coursing through his veins was completely unexpected.

Lust. He had never expected to lust after Hermione Granger. He'd been fairly confident that he could rise to the deed itself with no problem, but she certainly wasn't the first girl he'd have picked to deflower himself.

But now...

The firelight shone on her hair, turning it lustrous. Draco stared at her hair as she began working on his shirt, keeping her eyes on his buttons.

When the shirt was undone, she drew it off his pale sleek shoulders, admiring the subtle play of lean muscles there.

"You're beautiful." The words slipped out unintended.

"What?" He asked, disbelieving.

She thought quickly. "This is the part where you say something nice about your partner, presumably so they won't feel like they're making a big mistake."

Draco looked lost in thought. Something almost like pain flitted through him for the briefest second. Then he reached out and pulled her close against him. Hermione gasped. She could feel him, hot and hard against her. She found the idea unbearably exciting. Draco leaned in a little, his ivory bangs obscuring his eyes.

"This is what you do to me." His voice was curt, and rough with restraint.

Hermione's throat went abruptly dry. What sort of girl had turned him away? She wondered.

She swallowed. Heat seemed to be pooling within her, and her only instinct then was to crawl vertically up Draco's lean body.

"Um, well, since this is the first time, we..." her throat was dry.

"...can dispense with further foreplay?" Draco asked silkily.

"You catch on fast."

"I'm learning." Yes, indeed he was, Draco mused. He hadn't taken the time with Melissa to create this intense, sensual desire that enfolded the two of them like a silken web, that created a world of only them, where the outside world could not intrude. Right now, he was completely focused on Hermione. He had to give her points for that. Her every breath, sigh, glance and movement was of interest to him. When she ducked her head, he had the urge to follow, to envelop her, to find her hidden self, to delve deep into her warmth.

With this new insight, Draco took the lead. He caressed Hermione's curves again, and brought a hand back to smooth over her breasts, carefully plucking at the rosebud nipples. She closed her eyes, and her breathing deepened.

Inspired, Draco bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth. Hermione gasped and her fingers sank deep into his hair. With fierce relish, Draco swirled the nipple with his tongue, enjoying the taste, the soft feel of her. He sucked, and Hermione screamed as a line of lightning shot from that point deep down into her belly. She convulsed, then shook. It hadn't been this...intense... with Sean. It hadn't been...this dark craving.

Draco licked his way to her other breast, his confidence increasing with her moans of pleasure and the way she pulled his head closer.

At last he raised his head, triumph shining in his eyes. Hermione felt uncharacteristically irritated. Her student was doing well, she should be proud. He'd be swiving his reluctant summer girlfriend in no time at all. The thought made her feel even more irritated.

Well, she wasn't done with him yet.

Smiling, Hermione reached down into his pants and wrapped her hand around him. Draco's eyes widened. Hermione grinned.

Draco smiled in return and brought his hand up to cup Hermione's smooth inner thigh, so high up that his knuckles brushed her panties. Her eyes widened, and Dracos' smile grew. He hooked an index finger into the edge of her underwear, and ran his finger along the...

"Malfoy!" Hermioen shrieked, clutching him tightly. "What are you doing?"

"Granger," he drawled, "What DO you think we're doing?"

Hermione stiffened as Draco's fingers moved deeper. Her lashes drifted closed, and she sighed, enjoying the sensations, a blush on her face. Draco found it charming.

Nevertheless, he was a Slytherin. Torture was a part of their motto, along with cruelty and suffering. Draco was very cruel to Hermione. She suffered. She whimpered. She begged.

But Draco was in his element now. Having successfully navigated the first, most awkward part of this business, he found now that he was a skilled musician, and Hermione was making sweet music in his arms. He may not be perfect yet, but he certainly understood the rhythm.

Finally, he bent his head and whispered in her ear, "Do you really want me to...?"

"Yes! Bloody hell, yes!" Hermione almost sobbed.

Swiftly, he positioned them, and when Hermione was poised over him, allowed his conscience one moment to wonder what he was doing. But things were too far gone, and he had to finish what they'd started.

Smoothly, he lowered Hermione into him, and she sighed in pleasure as she encapsulated him. She wrapped her legs around him, and her arms around his neck.

He began to move, slowly at first, enjoying the feeling so much more than he'd ever expected to. Then the rhythm caught them both, and they moved together, faster and faster, until Hermione screamed, and clenched around him, and Draco came with her.

Glorious, was all he could think.

For some seconds, only heavy breathing filled the room. Draco unconsciously wrapped an arm around Hermione before sleep claimed them both.

When he woke up, the temperature in the cave had dropped several degrees, and he knew that Hermione was awake before he even opened his eyes.

"You wretch!" she hissed. She had dressed, and was even wearing her robes. But her hair was a glorious mess of curling mahogany and her eyes spit sparks at him.

She had her wand pointed at him, and that was spitting sparks too.

"Please don't say I raped you," he murmured, pushing his fair hair out of his eyes and propping himself up on his elbows.

"What else would you call it?"

"You know the properties of faunsfoot as well as I do," he said, mentally searching for his wand. "It only creates confidence - of the berserker kind, if you will- but it does NOT create..." he squelched the urge to run his eyes down her body. "...desire."

Furious tears rose in Hermione's eyes, and the hand holding her wand shook.

"I do NOT desire you," she cried. "Slytherin!" Child of the house of deceit.

"You lie," he snapped. "If you hadn't desired me, the fausnfoot would not have made you say 'yes'. You know that as well as I do, _Gryffindor_." Be honest with yourself, child of the house of truth, he was telling her.

Hermione drew a deep breath. "You used me," she said finally.

Draco bent his head in assent.

"I should have known," Hermione said, happy that her voice didn't tremble. "When you saved my life last night, I thought...Well, I hope you're happy. You've learned everything that could be expected. I can't imagine anyone refusing you now."

She rose, and he watched silently as she marched to the entrance of the cave.

"Thank you," he said, but she didn't reply. Nor did he expect her to. She was right, they both knew it. He'd stoked desire in her, and then used her to further his own goals. Yet, he felt cold inside as he watched her walk away.

Hermione sighed. The faunsfoot's false confidence had ebbed a lot, leaving her feeling lost and alone, as well as a monumental fool. She looked outside. It was dawn.

The Wild Hunt was over, and she could return to Hogwarts.

She used her wand to spell a branch she found. It wasn't a broomstick, and it would be awkward and unwieldy, but at least it would get her home. She climbed on it and ordered it up.

She didn't look back as the branch rose and left.

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	3. Hot

A/N: I didn't want the story to end with chapter 2, even though that's all I originally wrote. But that ending was quite depressing.

I don't know if I'll write more, probably will, but this is more upbeat, for now.

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Hermione sat in her armchair, her legs drawn up, her chin on her knees. A hot cup of cocoa sat steaming beside her on a lacey coaster, but drinking it made Hermione remember all too vividly how Draco Malfoy had tricked her with a cup of tea.

And that memory led to what immediately followed. Hermione rocked in her chair, distressed beyond measure.

"All Slytherin are scum!" she whispered out loud. "The scum of the planet! And Draco Malfoy is the king of scum!" If he hadn't….if she hadn't….Unable to sit still any longer, she got up from the chair and began to pace. Anger ran through her, but so did Malfoy's parting words.

"If you hadn't desired me, the faunsfoot would not have made you say 'yes'. You know that as well as I do, Gryffindor."

Was that really true? She was forced to admit that it was. She knew the properties of the plant as well as anyone. That in itself shocked her. She couldn't REALLY desire Malfoy, could she? Well, he was handsome, but so were many other boys in Hogwarts. And her two best friends were among that crowd.

Sure, Malfoy had that dark, dangerous air about him that many of her classmates found immensely appealing.

Hermione mentally shrugged. If you liked that sort of thing.

She shook her head. Whether some primitive cave-woman that lived in the back of her brain desired Malfoy or not, the point was that he'd taken his knowledge of her most intimate secret, something even Ron and Harry weren't privy to, and used it in the most calculated way possible against her.

Rage washed through her again. Just who did Malfoy think he was? Seeing red, Hermione left her room and walked down the hall, heading for the Slytherin tower. She knew where it was, and apparently Hogwarts decided not to play any games with her, because she found her way to Malfoy's room with relative ease.

"Password, madam?" The spindly butler in the Slytherin painting looked down at her Gryffindor colours with disapproval.

"I invoke my right as Headgirl to enter," she said.

The butler sniffed. "Very well," he said, and the door swung open. Hermione stepped through somewhat apprehensively, preparing a defensive spell in case any Slytherins happened to be around. But none were. It was a Saturday morning and most of the lazy Slytherins were still in bed, after a tired hike through the forest the evening before. Those that weren't in bed were not lounging about the common room, as they were only awake if they had someplace to be.

Hermione rapped sharply on Malfoy's door. No answer. Her fury began to mount. She rapped again.

Nothing.

"Right, that's it!" Hermione whipped out her wand, ready to blast the door open with sheer will if necessary, when the door suddenly swung open and a tousle-headed Draco in a white t-shirt and green pajama bottoms peered out with sleepy eyes.

"Who the hell…? What do you….?" Draco paused when he realized who was standing in his doorway, and what she was about to do.

"Granger, wait…" he said hastily, warding her off. "Hang on, now…"

Hermione advanced, her fury building to boiling point.

"You!" She pointed with her wand. "You smarmy, self-righteous, egomaniacal evil-loving git!"

"Whoa," Drao backed up further, still keeping a wary eye on Hermione's wand. Without breaking eye contact, he spotted his wand in his peripheral vision. Quickly he nabbed it.

"Incarcerous!"

Hermione gaped as ropes shot out of the tip of Draco's wand and wrapped themselves tightly around her. It happened so suddenly she couldn't help dropping her wand, and she fell like a lassoed calf next to it.

"Malfoy! What are you doing, you jackass? If you think I'll let you…"

"Hush!" Draco shut the door so she wouldn't wake the other Slytherins with all her racket, then crouched beside her fallen form.

"I'm sorry, Granger, but when you walk in waving your wand and threatening me, what did you expect me to do but defend myself?"

Did he just apologise? Hermione asked herself. And I wasn't threatening him. Much.

"You didn't open your door for the longest time," she muttered.

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "So you were going to blast a hole in my door, were you?"

Hermione refused to answer that. She would have been well within her rights, anyway. "Untie me!" she demanded.

Draco thought about it. "No," he said. "First I want to know what you're doing here. Then I'll decide if it's safe to let you loose."

Hermione struggled with the ropes, but they were bound tight. Her cheek was digging into the carpet, and she had to crane her neck to see Malfoy from this angle.

She gasped when she felt herself being lifted. Malfoy had picked her up (remarkably easily!) and was carrying her somewhere in his arms. For a moment, Hermione entertained a horrid vision of being dumped on his bed, and then Draco Malfoy having his wicked way with her. Again.

Instead, Draco dropped her on one end of his sofa, knocking the breath from her.

"Oof!" Hermione landed on the cushions.

"Wait here," Draco said, walking off.

"Where are you going?" Hermione shouted.

"For glory's sake!" Draco muttered a quick silencing charm on his room. The way Hermione was screeching, she'd definitely wake his dorm mates up otherwise. And it wouldn't do for the Slytherins to find their head prefect entertaining the _Gryffindor_ Head Girl in his room.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," he replied. "You woke me up, you realize. If you don't remember, we had quite an active evening. I simply don't know how you can be up so early!"

Hermione stared speechlessly at his back, but the bathroom door shut behind him, and she had to swallow her words. For now.

When Draco exited the bathroom, feeling a lot fresher after washing his face, he was hit by a string of swear words from the delectable tied-up girl on his sofa.

"Admirable," he said, when she ran out of words. "But I don't think that's what you're really here for."

"I came to say that you're a prick of the absolute first order!" Hermione shouted. "You took advantage of me in that cave. You…you probably planned everything, you bastard!"

"I did," Draco assented. "But if you're asking me to be sorry, you've come for the wrong reason. I'd do it again…" he snapped his fingers. "..like that!"

He came forward, and leaned down to smile at Hermione. "It was worth it." His eyes warmed with remembered pleasure.

Hermione was abruptly reminded that his face had been this close last night, when she'd climbed all over him, when she'd kissed him.

She turned her face away, flushing. "You took something I held precious, and ruined it," she said quietly.

Draco frowned. Sex with Hermione had somehow deepened a connection between them he'd never suspected existed. Her pain shouldn't have affected him, but it did. He wanted to soothe her, but didn't know how. He waved his wand and let the ropes loosen, so that Hermione was free.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked. "Do you want to turn the cruciatus curse on me? Will that help?"

"No." Hermione got to her feet, unsure what to do. She felt suddenly tired.

"I'm in your debt," Draco said slowly.

"What?" she said absently , turning around, looking on the floor for her wand.

"We both agree last night wasn't rape," Draco began and raised his palms when Hermione flashed a glare at him. "But, I tricked you. It's the Slytherin thing to do." He couldn't bring himself to mention the Hades story. It was close to his heart.

"So, I owe you a Debt," he made himself say. She didn't know what he was promising. It sounded mundane enough when he said it out loud. But he'd underestimated Hermione. She looked suddenly interested.

"A Debt?"she said. "Like the life Debt?" That was strong magic, they both knew.

"No, but binding nonetheless. I owe you a favour." Not any old help-me-with-laundry-I'll-do-your-dishes kind of favour, but the kind of favour that had to be granted no matter what.

"I don't see myself needing that sort of thing very often," Hermione said consideringly.

Draco laughed. "With Potter as your best friend? You'll be needing me tomorrow, if not sooner."

Hermione thought about it. She didn't really think she could depend on Draco for anything, but you just never knew. And anyway, what else could she do? He'd proposed an honourable reparation, she knew, something that might soothe her wounded pride a bit, if not wholly. It surprised her, coming from a Malfoy and a Slytherin.

"Very well, I accept," she said. "But this doesn't mean I like you any better." True, but she did respect him just a little more.

"Then you won't allow me to walk you into breakfast" Draco asked politely, and hid a smile when she glared at him.

He couldn't have planned it any better himself. He certainly hadn't expected Granger to show up snarling on his doorstep like that, though he'd dreamt about her for the remainder of the night.

When he'd seen her sitting tied up on his cushions, spitting like an angry cat, unexpected desire had slammed into him, surprising him with its intensity. He'd expected her to be his doorway into the world of sex, but now for some reason, his body craved hers. Well, it would wear off, he expected. After all, no one he knew stopped with just one conquest.

All those Slytherin girls were waiting out there for Draco Malfoy to love them and leave them. But for now, his interest was captured solely by Hermione.

He glanced at his clock, which had a hand at "Time for a call from Professor Snape". There was a knock at his door.

Hermione glanced around desperately, then seated herself at the sofa with a defiant air.

Draco opened the door to see Snape standing there, closing his sleeve buttons.

"Malfoy," Snape began, then looked past Draco and spotted a horrified Hermione. "Isn't it a bit early for you to visiting with your fellow prefects, Ms. Granger?"

"Um, well…" Hermione stuttered.

"Granger and I have a breakfast study date," Draco interjected smoothly. "Don't we?" He turned inquiringly to her. She shot him a glance filled with darts.

"Then we can all walk in together," Snape said, entering Draco's room. "Hurry up and get dressed, Malfoy. We might as well talk on the way. I've got some questions to ask about the arrangements for the next Hogsmeade weekend."

Hermione seethed in discomfort as Snape and Draco chatted. Now she was stuck till they got to breakfast. Damn Malfoy and his sneaky ways. Apparently he was not going to stop tricking her. Best she kept an eye out.

When Draco disappeared to get dressed, Snape turned to her.

"Getting chummy with the Slytherins, Ms Granger?" he asked.

"Malfoy just asked for some help with er…Geomancy," Hermione hurriedly made up.

"Well, then I'll see you after breakfast as well. I'm the library monitor this weekend."

Hermione silently groaned.

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